Inner package and packaging box including the same

ABSTRACT

The disclosure provides an inner package configured to package object and to be put into an outer package with the object. The inner package includes a top portion, a rear portion and a bottom portion. The top portion, the rear portion and the bottom portion are made of a single piece. The top portion and the bottom portion are respectively foldably connected to two opposite sides of the rear portion so that the inner package has a folded position and an unfolded position. The inner package in the unfolded position allows the object to be positioned on the rear portion. When the inner package is in the folded position, the top portion and the bottom portion are folded with respect to the rear portion and form an accommodating space with the rear portion for accommodating the object and respectively pressing against two opposite sides of the object.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This non-provisional application is a continuation-in-part patent application of U.S. application Ser. No. 15/915,973 filed on 2018 Mar. 8.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The disclosure relates to an inner package and a packaging box including the same, more particularly to an inner package made of a single piece and a packaging box including the same.

BACKGROUND

A product or good must be well packaged to avoid damage during transportation. Generally, the product is packaged by an inner packaging and then put into an outer package with the inner package. This can provide a cushion effect thereby providing protection to the product to avoid possible scratching or other damages.

In prior art, the inner package is consisted of multiple independent packing pieces to fit different parts of the product and to position the product in the outer package, thus the packaging process contains a lot of steps. Such inner package requires several processes for molding these pieces, and this not only increases the overall mold cost, but also extends the production time. In addition, too many packing pieces would increase the error rate of packaging and extend the packaging time, thereby resulting in product launch delay. Furthermore, it requires complicated removal steps to remove the product from the inner package. That is, the conventional inner package is not cost effective and is not convenient for packaging staffs and users.

SUMMARY

Accordingly, the present disclosure provides an inner package and a packaging box including the same which are beneficial to reduce the mold cost, the complexity of the packaging process, the error rate and the time cost and to facilitate packaging staffs to package and users to unpack.

One embodiment of the disclosure provides an inner package configured to package an object and to be put into an outer package with the object. The inner package includes a top portion, a rear portion and a bottom portion. The top portion, the rear portion and the bottom portion are made of a single piece, the top portion and the bottom portion are respectively foldably connected to two opposite sides of the rear portion so that the inner package has a folded position and an unfolded position. The inner package in the unfolded position allows the object to be positioned on the rear portion; when the inner package is in the folded position, the top portion and the bottom portion are folded with respect to the rear portion and form an accommodating space with the rear portion for accommodating the object and respectively pressing against two opposite sides of the object.

One embodiment of the disclosure provides a packaging box configured to package an object. The packaging box includes an outer package and an inner package. The outer package has a first accommodating space. The inner package includes a top portion, a rear portion and a bottom portion. The top portion, the rear portion and the bottom portion are made of a single piece, the top portion and the bottom portion are respectively foldably connected to two opposite sides of the rear portion so that the inner package has a folded position and an unfolded position. The inner package in the unfolded position allows the object to be positioned on the rear portion; when the inner package is in the folded position, the top portion and the bottom portion are folded with respect to the rear portion and form a second accommodating space with the rear portion for accommodating the object and respectively pressing against two opposite sides of the object; and when the inner package is in the folded position, the inner package and the object are allowed to be accommodated into the first accommodating space of the outer package together.

According to the inner package and the packaging box as discussed in above, the inner package including the top portion, the rear portion and the bottom portion is made of a single piece, and the top portion and the bottom portion can be used to retain and clamp the object so as to properly package the object.

In contrast to the conventional inner package which is consisted of multiple independent packaging pieces, the inner package of the present disclosure is beneficial to largely reduce the mold cost, the complexity of the packaging process, the error rate and the time cost, etc.

In addition, it is understood that the object can be easily unpacked from the inner package. For example, after taking out the inner package from the outer package, the object can be directly taken out from the inner package via the side which is not clamped or retained by the inner package.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present disclosure will become better understood from the detailed description given hereinbelow and the accompanying drawings which are given by way of illustration only and thus are not intending to limit the present disclosure and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a packaging box and an object packaged in the packaging box according to one embodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the packaging box and the object in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an inner package in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the inner package in an unfolded position;

FIG. 5 is an assembly drawing of the inner package and the object in FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a side view of the inner package and the object in FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of an inner package according to another embodiment of the disclosure; and

FIGS. 8-9 are schematic views showing the operation of a packaging box using the inner package in FIG. 7.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following detailed description, for purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the disclosed embodiments. It will be apparent, however, that one or more embodiments may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known main structures and devices are schematically shown in order to simplify the drawing.

Firstly, please refer to FIGS. 1-4, FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a packaging box and an object packaged in the packaging box according to one embodiment of the disclosure, FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the packaging box and the object in FIG. 1, FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an inner package in FIG. 1, and FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the inner package in an unfolded position.

This embodiment provides a packaging box 1 including an outer package 9 and an inner package 2. The inner package 2 is configured to package an object 8 and is able to be placed into the outer package 9 with the object 8 together. The object 8 is, for example, an electronic product or a non-electronic product. In this embodiment, the object 8 is an on-ear headphone, so it also can be called ‘on-ear headphone 8’ in this embodiment. However, it is noted that the type of the object or product that can be packaged in the inner package 2 is not restricted, and the on-ear headphone is merely an example for understanding the spirit of the present disclosure.

Then, the outer package 9 and the inner package 2 are discussed in more detail in the following paragraphs.

The outer package 9 includes a top cover portion 91, an accommodating portion 92, a base portion 93 and a decoration plate 94. The accommodating portion 92 is a box-like object having openings on either end, and the accommodating portion 92 has a first accommodating space S1 for accommodating the inner package 2 and the on-ear headphone 8. In addition, the accommodating portion 92 is made of, for example, a transparent plastic material, enabling consumers to see the on-ear headphone 8 through the outer package 9 when the inner package 2 and the on-ear headphone 8 are accommodated in the accommodating portion 92. The top cover portion 91 is fixed on the top side of the accommodating portion 92. The top cover portion 91 has a part that is able to be opened to expose the second accommodating space S2. In detail, in this embodiment, the top cover portion 91 has a dotted line 910 on the top side thereof, and one can tear the top cover portion 91 along the dotted line 910 so that part of the top cover portion 91 can be opened to create an opening 911 connected to the first accommodating space S1 and allowing the inner package 2 and the on-ear headphone 8 in the accommodating portion 92 to pass therethrough. However, the present disclosure is not limited to how to open the top cover portion 91. In fact, any design that can make a side of the outer package to be openable and to able to let the inner package part to pass through should fall within the scope of the present disclosure. The base portion 93 is fixed at the opening at the bottom of the accommodating portion 92 so as to seal the opening. The decoration plate 94 is located between the inner package 2 and the accommodating portion 92, and it can be printed with information, such as images and texts, which are related to the on-ear headphone 8. By doing so, when the on-ear headphone 8 is accommodated within the accommodating portion 92 with the inner package 2, consumer or buyer can see the information on the decoration plate 94 through the accommodating portion 92, and this helps to improve the visual effect. However, the present disclosure is not limited to the design of the outer package 9, any design that can properly accommodate the inner package 2 and the on-ear headphone 8 should fall within the scope of the present disclosure. For example, in some other embodiments, the outer package may be made of a single piece and have a dotted line on one side, so one still can tear part of the outer package to create an opening which allows the inner package to pass through.

Then, the inner package 2 is discussed hereinafter. The inner package 2 is made of a single piece which is made of, for example, a transparent or translucent plastic material. In this embodiment, the inner package 2 includes a top portion 10, a rear portion 20 and a bottom portion 30 which are connected in one piece. The rear portion 20 is connected to and located between the top portion 10 and the bottom portion 30. That is, the top portion 10 and the bottom portion 30 are respectively connected to two opposite sides of the rear portion 20. In more detail, the top portion 10 is foldably connected to the rear portion 20 about a first folding line F1 so that the top portion 10 is able to be folded with respect to the rear portion 20, and the bottom portion 30 is foldably connected to the rear portion 20 about a second folding line F2 so that the bottom portion 30 is able to be folded with respect to the rear portion 20. As such, the inner package 2 has a folded position (as shown in FIG. 3) and an unfolded position (as shown in FIG. 4). When the inner package 2 is in the folded position, the top portion 10 and the bottom portion 30 are folded to come close to each other and form a second accommodating space S2 with the rear portion 20. When the inner package 2 is in the unfolded position, the top portion 10 and the bottom portion 30 are spread out with respect to the rear portion 20.

Then, the top portion 10, the rear portion 20 and the bottom portion 30 are discussed in more detail in the following paragraphs.

According to the shape of the on-ear headphone 8, the surfaces of the top portion, the rear portion and the bottom portion have some features such as retaining indentations and/or a positioning protrusion fitting the on-ear headphone 8. Therefore, the location, shape, and size of the retaining indentation or positioning protrusion would be changed to match the product to be packaged, so they are not restricted. In this embodiment, the top portion 10 has a first clamping surface 110 and a first inclined surface 120 which are connected to each other. The first clamping surface 110 is able to support a side of the on-ear headphone 8. The first clamping surface 110 has a plurality of first retaining indentations 111 that can fit and retain part of the on-ear headphone 8 (e.g., part of the headband) in order to position the on-ear headphone 8. The first inclined surface 120 is connected to and located between the first folding line F1 and the first clamping surface 110.

The rear portion 20 has a supporting surface 210, a top surface 220, a top inclined surface 230, a bottom surface 240 and a bottom inclined surface 250. The supporting surface 210 is able to support the on-ear headphone 8, and the supporting surface 210 has a plurality of second retaining indentations 211 thereon. The shapes of the second retaining indentations 211 fit part of the on-ear headphone 8 (e.g., part of the headband and part of the ear cover) in order to position the on-ear headphone 8. The top surface 220 is connected to a side of the supporting surface 210 facing the top portion 10, and the top inclined surface 230 is connected to and located between the first folding line F1 and the top inclined surface 230. That is, the top portion 10 and the rear portion 20 are connected to each other respectively through the first inclined surface 120 and the top inclined surface 230, and the supporting surface 210 is connected to the top inclined surface 230 through the top surface 220.

In addition, the top surface 220 and the top inclined surface 230 of the rear portion 20 together form a first depression 21. The shape of the first depression 21 matches the shape of the first clamping surface 110 and the first inclined surface 120. Thus, when the top portion 10 is folded with respect to the rear portion 20 about the first folding line F1, the first clamping surface 110 and the first inclined surface 120 respectively press against the top surface 220 and the top inclined surface 230, such that part of the top portion 10 is located at and fits the first depression 21, allowing the top portion 10 to be stably placed on the rear portion 20.

The bottom surface 240 is connected to another side of the supporting surface 210 away from the top portion 10, and the bottom inclined surface 250 is connected to and located between the second folding line F2 and the bottom surface 240.

The bottom portion 30 has a second clamping surface 310 and a second inclined surface 320 which are connected to each other. The second clamping surface 310 is able to support another side of the on-ear headphone 8 away from the top portion 10. The second clamping surface 310 has a plurality of third retaining indentations 311. The shape of the third retaining indentation 311 fits part of the on-ear headphone 8 (e.g. the bottom part of the ear cover), such that the third retaining indentations 311 are able to position and retain the on-ear headphone 8. The second inclined surface 320 is connected to and located between the second folding line F2 and the second clamping surface 310. In addition, the second clamping surface 310 further has a fourth retaining indentation 312, the fourth retaining indentation 312 is connected to and located between the two third retaining indentations 311 and is configured to accommodate the cable of the on-ear headphone 8 (as shown in FIG. 5), but the fourth retaining indentation 312 is optional.

Furthermore, the bottom surface 240 and the bottom inclined surface 250 of the rear portion 20 together form a second depression 22. The shape of the second depression 22 matches the shape of the second clamping surface 310 and the second inclined surface 320. Thus, when the bottom portion 30 is folded with respect to the rear portion 20 about the second folding line F2, the second clamping surface 310 and the second inclined surface 320 respectively press against the bottom surface 240 and the bottom inclined surface 250 of the rear portion 20, such that part of the bottom portion 30 is located at and fits the second depression 22, allowing the bottom portion 30 to be stably placed on the rear portion 20.

Moreover, the inner package 2 further includes a positioning protrusion 40. The positioning protrusion 40 protrudes from the supporting surface 210 of the rear portion 20 and is used to position the on-ear headphone 8.

Then, please refer to FIG. 4 and further refer to FIGS. 5-6 to more understand how to use the inner package 2 to package a product. FIG. 5 is an assembly drawing of the inner package and the object in FIG. 1, and FIG. 6 is a side view of the inner package and the object in FIG. 1.

Firstly, as shown in FIG. 4, the inner package 2 is spread out; that is, the top portion 10 and the bottom portion 30 are unfolded with respect to the rear portion 20, such that the inner package 2 is in the unfolded position.

Then, as shown in FIG. 5, the on-ear headphone 8 is able to be placed in the second retaining indentations 211 on the supporting surface 210 of the rear portion 20 along a direction D1, and the positioning protrusion 40 is able to separate the ear covers of the on-ear headphone 8 and maintain them in desired positions. By doing so, the on-ear headphone 8 is preliminarily positioned and retained.

Then, the top portion 10 is folded about the first folding line F1 in a direction D2 to let the first clamping surface 110 and the first inclined surface 120 to respectively press against the top surface 220 and the top inclined surface 230 of the rear portion 20, such that part of the top portion 10 is located at the first depression 21. When the top portion 10 presses against the rear portion 20, the first retaining indentation 111 on the first clamping surface 110 of the top portion 10 presses and accommodates part of the headband of the on-ear headphone 8 so as to provide a limitation in another direction to retain and position the on-ear headphone 8.

Then, the bottom portion 30 is folded about the second folding line F2 in a direction D3 to let the second clamping surface 310 and the second inclined surface 320 to respectively press against the bottom surface 240 and the bottom inclined surface 250 of the rear portion 20, such that part of part of the bottom portion 30 is located at the second depression 22. When the bottom portion 30 presses against the rear portion 20, the third retaining indentations 311 on the second clamping surface 310 of the bottom portion 30 respectively press and accommodate the ear covers of the on-ear headphone 8 so as to provide a further limitation in a different direction to retain and position the on-ear headphone 8. At this moment, the inner package 2 is in the folded position and forms the second accommodating space S2 to accommodate the on-ear headphone 8, and the top portion 10 and the bottom portion 30 respectively press against two opposite sides of the on-ear headphone 8; that is, the on-ear headphone 8 is retained and clamped by the inner package 2.

It is noted that such steps are exemplary, and the present disclosure is not limited thereto. For example, in some other embodiments, the bottom portion 30 may be folded before folding the top portion 10; alternatively, the bottom portion 30 and the top portion 10 may be folded at the same time.

By the above steps, the on-ear headphone 8 is packaged by the inner package 2. Then, as shown in FIG. 1 or FIG. 2, the inner package 2 and the on-ear headphone 8 can be put into the first accommodating space S1 of the outer package 9 together. Lastly, the top cover portion 91 of the outer package 9 is closed so that the packaging process of the on-ear headphone 8 is finished. As discussed, an object or product (e.g. the on-ear headphone 8) having a complicated shape can be properly packaged and fixed in position by the inner package 2 of a single piece.

In contrast to the conventional inner package which is consisted of multiple independent packaging pieces, the inner package 2 made of a single piece is beneficial to largely reduce the mold cost, the complexity of the packaging process, the error rate and the time cost, etc.

In addition, consumers can take the on-ear headphone 8 out of the inner package 2 by a few simple steps. For example, tearing the outer package 9 along the dotted line 910 on the outer package 9 to take out the inner package 2 and the on-ear headphone 8 together, and then directly taking out the on-ear headphone 8 from the inner package 2. In the present disclosure, taking out the product from package is also much more convenient than the prior art design.

Moreover, in order to allow the packaging staff or user to take out the product (e.g., the aforementioned on-ear headphone 8) in a more convenient manner, the disclosure further provides another embodiment as shown in FIGS. 7-9, wherein the outer package and the inner package in the another embodiment and the previous embodiment only have a few differences, thus the same parts of these embodiments will not be repeated in the following paragraphs.

As shown in FIGS. 7-9, FIG. 7 is a perspective view of an inner package according to another embodiment of the disclosure, and FIGS. 8-9 are schematic views showing the operation of a packaging box using the inner package in FIG. 7. This embodiment provides an inner package 2 a, the inner package 2 a is similar to the inner package 2 in previous embodiments but having a difference in that the inner package 2 a further includes a tongue portion 1111. In detail, the tongue portion 1111 is located at a front edge 11 of a top portion 10 a of the inner package 2 a. Specifically, the front edge 11 is located at a side of the top portion 10 a which is located away from the rear portion 20 and the bottom portion 30, and the tongue portion 1111 is foldably connected to the front edge 11 of the top portion 10 a. In this embodiment, the tongue portion 1111 and the top portion 10 a are made of a single piece, but the disclosure is not limited thereto. For example, in some other embodiments, the tongue portion 1111 may be additionally adhered to or fixed to the front edge 11; in such a case, the top portion 10 a and the tongue portion 1111 may be made of different materials. In this embodiment, the tongue portion 1111 is located between the top portion 10 a and the top cover portion 91 while the cover portion 91 is in a closed state; after the top cover portion 91 has been opened, the packaging staff or user is allowed to pinch and pivot the tongue portion 1111. It is noted that the location of the tongue portion 1111 on the front edge 11 is not restricted to be located at the middle of the top portion 10 a shown in FIGS. 7-9.

Then, FIGS. 8-9 shows a packaging box 1 a using the aforementioned inner package 2 a. After the top cover portion 91 of the outer package 9 has been opened, the packaging staff or user is able to pinch and pivot the tongue portion 1111 on the top portion 10 a of the inner package 2 a along a direction of A1, and then to smoothly open the top portion 10 a by pulling upwards the tongue portion 1111, such that both the inner package 2 a and the product therein (e.g., the on-ear headphone 8) can be pulled out of the outer package 9 along a direction of A2 by keeping pulling upwards the tongue portion 1111. Accordingly, after the top cover portion 91 of the outer package 9 has been opened, consumers can take the inner package 2 a and the on-ear headphone 8 out of the outer package 9 in one step with the help of the tongue portion 1111, making the process of unpacking a product more convenient. Additionally, it is understood that the size of the tongue portion 1111 is not restricted as long as it is suitable for fingers to pinch.

Again, the aforementioned on-ear headphone is merely an example for explaining the spirit of the inner package of the present disclosure, thus the present disclosure is not limited to the on-ear headphone or the product to be packaged. In fact, any design that can properly package, clamp and position the object or product and be put into an outer package should fall within the scope of the inner package of the present disclosure.

Therefore, in the present disclosure, the designs, locations and quantities of the top portion, the rear portion, bottom portion and the positioning protrusion are not restricted, they all can be changed according to the shape of the object or product to be packaged. For example, in some other embodiments, a top portion of an inner package may have multiple first retaining indentations or have no first retaining indentation, a rear portion may have only one second retaining indentation or have no second retaining indentation, a bottom portion may have only one third retaining indentation or have no third retaining indentation, and there may have multiple positioning protrusions or have no positioning protrusion.

According to the inner package and the packaging box as discussed in above, the inner package including the top portion, the rear portion and the bottom portion are made of a single piece, and the top portion and the bottom portion can be used to retain and clamp the object so as to properly package the object.

In contrast to the conventional inner package which is consisted of multiple independent packaging pieces, the inner package of the present disclosure is beneficial to largely reduce the mold cost, the complexity of the packaging process, the error rate and the time cost, etc.

In addition, it is understood that the object can be easily unpacked from the inner package. For example, after taking out the inner package from the outer package, the object can be directly taken out from the inner package via the side which is not clamped or retained by the inner package.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made to the present disclosure. It is intended that the specification and examples be considered as exemplary embodiments only, with a scope of the disclosure being indicated by the following claims and their equivalents. 

1. An inner package, configured to package an object and to be put into an outer package with the object, the outer package having a top cover portion which is openable and located on a top side thereof, the inner package comprising: a top portion, a rear portion, a bottom portion, a plurality of retaining indentations, at least one positioning protrusion, and a tongue portion, wherein the top portion and the bottom portion are respectively foldably connected to two opposite sides of the rear portion so that the inner package has a folded position and an unfolded position; wherein, the inner package in the unfolded position allows the object to be positioned on the rear portion; when the inner package is in the folded position, the top portion and the bottom portion are folded with respect to the rear portion and form an accommodating space with the rear portion for accommodating the object and respectively pressing against two opposite sides of the object; wherein, the top portion has a front edge located at a side of the top portion away from the bottom portion and the rear portion; wherein the tongue portion is foldable connected to the front edge of the top portion, and the inner package is made of a single piece, such that pulling the tongue portion upwards is to force the top portion to pivot relatively to the rear portion so as to sequentially pull the top portion, the rear portion, and the bottom portion, that are of one piece, out of the outer package at one time and to cause the inner package to transform from the folded position to the unfolded position.
 2. (canceled)
 3. (canceled)
 4. The inner package according to claim 1, wherein the top cover portion has a dashed line on a side thereof, and part of the top cover portion is openable along the dashed line.
 5. (canceled)
 6. A packaging box, configured to package an object, the packaging box comprising: an outer package, having a first accommodating space and a top cover portion which is openable and located on a top side thereof; and an inner package, comprising: a top portion, a rear portion, and a bottom portion, a plurality of retaining indentations, at least one positioning protrusion and a tongue portion, wherein the top portion and the bottom portion are respectively foldably connected to two opposite sides of the rear portion so that the inner package has a folded position and an unfolded position; wherein, the inner package in the unfolded position allows the object to be positioned on the rear portion; when the inner package is in the folded position, the top portion and the bottom portion are folded with respect to the rear portion and form a second accommodating space with the rear portion for accommodating the object and respectively pressing against two opposite sides of the object; and when the inner package is in the folded position, the inner package and the object are allowed to be accommodated into the first accommodating space of the outer package together; wherein the top portion has a front edge located at a side of the top portion away from the bottom portion and the rear portion; wherein the tongue portion is foldable connected to the front edge of the top portion, and the inner package is made of a single piece, such that pulling upwards the tongue portion is to force the top portion to pivot relatively to the rear portion so as to sequentially pull the top portion, the rear portion, and the bottom portion, that are of one piece, out of the outer package at one time and to cause the inner package to transform from the folded position to the unfolded position.
 7. (canceled)
 8. (canceled)
 9. The packaging box according to claim 6, wherein the top cover portion has a dashed line on a side thereof, and part of the top cover portion is openable along the dashed line.
 10. (canceled) 